Thursday, December 5, 2024
The Latest DUI News and Information From DUI Defense Attorneys Across the Country

Is DUI by Beer on the Decline?

Steve ObermanResearch Shows Flavor of Beer Alone Triggers Dopamine Release

In a study conducted by Indiana University School of Medicine and reported in USA Today, researchers found that the flavor of beer alone is enough to trigger the brain to release dopamine, the chemical associated with pleasure and reward.

The participants in the study received tiny spritzes of either Gatorade or their preferred beer (15 ml total over 15 minutes), so they were able to taste the beer without any intoxicating effects.  The researchers monitored the participants’ brain activity with positron emission tomography (PET scans), and the scans showed significantly more dopamine activity when the participants tasted beer instead of Gatorade.

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse have long been linked to the release of dopamine, but this study is the first to show that the brain responds to the flavor of beer alone.  Research has consistently shown that sensory cues such as tastes, smells, or the sight of a bar can cause cravings and relapses in recovering alcoholics, and this study furthers the idea that dopamine may play a significant role in cravings.

The study also found that men who had a family history of alcoholism had the most pronounced dopamine reaction to the taste of beer.  David Karaken, a senior author of the study and a professor in IU School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, notes that a heightened dopamine response may be an inherited risk factor for alcoholism.

The Knoxville, TN DUI defense lawyers at Oberman and Rice try to stay current on developments and research on alcohol-related topics.  Awareness of the many underlying causes and effects of alcohol use enables us to have a better understanding of the many issues at play when we represent clients.  We believe this type of research is helpful in discovering why some people crave beer.  This will lead to a decline in people driving under the influence (DUI/DWI) in Tennessee.

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Steve Oberman

Since graduating from the University of Tennessee Law School in 1980, Mr. Oberman has become established as a national authority on the intricacies of DUI defense law. Steve is a former Dean of the National College for DUI Defense, co-author of a national treatise ("Drunk Driving Defense" published by Aspen/Wolters-Kluwer), and author of "DUI: The Crime and Consequences in Tennessee" (published by Thomson-Reuters/West). He has taught thousands of lawyers, judges, and members of the general public about the intricacies of this crime. Steve was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach American Criminal Law and American Trial Advocacy at the University of Latvia School of Law in 2019; in 2023 taught for a semester as a visiting professor at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Faculty of Law in Budapest, Hungary; and as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Law in 2024. Steve has also presented at a number of judicial conferences in the United States and Canada as well as for law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Czech Republic Police Academy. As a Tennessee DUI attorney, Mr. Oberman has successfully defended over two thousand clients charged with Driving Under the Influence of alcohol and/or drugs. In 2006, Mr. Oberman became the first DUI lawyer in Tennessee to be recognized by the National College for DUI Defense as a Board Certified Specialist in the area of DUI Defense law.

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